Compton Peak, Shenandoah National Park

 I'm just going to post the beautiful view right at the start of this post.  I cannot say enough good things about the people who work in and maintain Shenandoah National Park.  This hike, for me, was very difficult.  The ascent was 830 feet over the course of about 0.8 miles, then 0.2 of down and flat to get to the cliff's edge where we had lunch, and then a mile walk back, down down down.  It was an out and back and I read that it is a very popular hike.  I can see why - the views are spectacular, and it is only 10 miles from the start of Shenandoah National Park on the north side, making it very location-friendly for those of us who live in the DC metro area.

We were not alone on the trail today - there were two other hiker groups we passed.  One group was two older couples, I'd guess in their late 60s, possibly the "just past retirement" hiking set.  This was nice - they were on a two week section hike along the AT and were heading for the next shelter on the trail, Gravel Springs Hut.  It's much nicer, on the trail, to camp at a shelter with water and even a roof than to trail camp, or stealth camp.  You're not guaranteed water and you're really not supposed to do it - though who could blame you if you absolutely couldn't walk another step.  They'd had to do that the night before, and it was about 8 miles to the shelter, so I wish them luck and hope they made it - it did rain dreadfully last  night.

So up.  It was hard.  I ain't gonna lie - this is likely due to the fibromyalgia.  My lungs said NO STOP!  My legs said WHY ARE WE DOING THIS AGAIN?!? and my heart said HEY SLOW DOWN A BIT.  But we made it, by and by, and I was able to say hey!  This is why the guide books say it takes 2.5 hours to do this little 2.0 - 2.4 mile hike!  There were very cool things to see - basalt rock from the Catoctin Lava Flow, long before the mountains were formed and before feet touched soil.  Deer, squirrels, centipedes, hawks, I'm sure many more things but I was a little too focused on not tripping to see everything.

When we got to the top, we met our second group - three men, all the same age as the first group.  These were day hikers - they carried nice packs that had very little in them, much as we were carrying.  I was happy that everyone was using hiking poles.  Instead of my cane, when I hike, I use my hiking poles.  I also cannot say enough good things about them.  They distribute weight and help you balance, keep your hands from swelling, and make sure you don't lose your footing.  I love them.  They decided to turn left and go to the secondary lookout, and we went right.  Rock scramble and 0.2 miles later and we arrived at the edge of the cliff, pictured to the left.  Do you see that road?  That's where we hiked up from.  It felt really good to have that visual reminder that the pain in my hips was really due to hard effort and we were rewarded by having a lunch up on the rocks.  Still, I was glad I'd brought my flexeril and some tylenol, because I knew I was going to need it.  I felt like I couldn't walk anymore, and it was cold up there.  50 degrees seems warm nestled in the valley, or broken by trees, but with the wind and the cliff?  I was glad I'd brought my shawl and Aaron his flannel.

Down was easy and fast.  It really felt like 4 miles going up and 1 mile going down.  All in all, a nice day.  And we purchased the annual pass for the park, $30, because we definitely intend to do more hiking in Shenandoah this season.

Time spent on trail:  2 hours, including lunch.

Difficulty:  Hard for me, medium for someone without walking difficulty normally.

Bonuses:  The view, the silence, the wind and the wildlife.

View:  My photos don't capture the absolute majesty, but it's just wonderful.  You can see all the way into Maryland, the south fork of the Shenandoah, Front Royal, it's all laid out like a map.

Kid-friendly:  Kids would like it.  Be cautious if you bring small kids - they'll get freaking exhausted and those cliffs are really high up.  You don't want to necessarily wind up carrying them half the way.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

I would be remiss if I didn't recommend Meadowlark Botanical Gardens as a beautiful place for a hike.  We went on a Saturday, and there were people there, true, but it was not packed with people.  Many of the people we saw were laying on blankets in the grass reading or meditating, or quietly pushing babies around in strollers and just enjoying being outside.  There is a fee for entry - it was $15 for the four of us.

We started off by having a picnic at a wisteria-draped picnic pavilion that the park provides just outside, as food and trash are not allowed actually inside Meadowlark. I cannot convey how beautiful and peaceful this picnic shelter is.  So beautiful is it that they have to put a sign on it saying, "No Weddings In Shelter."  Which makes sense, you want everyone to be able to enjoy it.   So Aaron and I took the not-small-anymore ladies and  picnicked to our hearts and stomach's content.  When we were finished, we put everything we were carrying for the picnic into the car, allowing us to bring only ourselves on the walk.  I am walking with a cane much of the time these days, and so I brought my cane and it enabled me to walk for a very long time, which was wonderful.

 Two views from within the gardens.  The paths are paved, by and large, and are accessible for anyone.  The gardens feature many different gazebos and beautiful settings, different kinds of gardens, and statuary which are really quite lovely.  Perhaps one of our favorite spots in the garden was the Korean Bell Garden, which overlooks the wedding pond and chapel.  There is a large peace and harmony bell inside a pavilion set on a hill, and korean statuary surround it, including the pond you see in the left hand photo.  The bell looks like it can be rung, but was chained to keep it from making noise.  A good thing too, because the pavilion in the middle of the lake had a beautiful wedding happening while we were there - and yet the sounds we heard were only nature sounds.  It was really quiet and surprisingly serene.  A lovely day for a lovely hike with my favorite people.

Time spent on trail: 2.5 hours, but we could've stayed longer!

Difficulty:  Extremely easy, paved even.

Bonuses:  Educational signs that help you identify each flower or tree or shrub group, sculptures.

View:  Yes, yes.  Just look at it.  LOOK AT IT RIGHT THERE.  Even better, go look with your eyes.

Kid-friendly:  Oh yes, very.  There's even a charming children's touch-and-smell garden!

Scott's Run, McLean, Virginia

I started a new job about seven months ago, and I have amazing coworkers.  My coworkers work together like a family, and I've been really lucky to be able to make friends and feel a part of something here.  I was ecstatic when they started talking about doing a group hike!  There were going to be like, 15 people there, and dogs, and we'd go at 7 in the morning, and we'd have all the rest of our Saturday and it was going to be awesome!  Right?

It really WAS awesome, but only two of my coworkers came, with one dog, and Anna and Julia and Aaron and me.  And it was a beautiful morning for a hike - crisp and really cold.  Julia, you may remember, is allergic to the cold, and so she was very bundled up.  We were prepared for her to get hives, and sure enough, she did, but we didn't let them stop us from having a good morning hike.

We opted for a trail that wasn't a trail at one point and went to a beautiful overlook of the Potomac and some lovely rocks for climbing.  Aaron and Anna had a good time climbing all the rocks, and the adults had a good time too.

The hike includes several river crossings on cement bumps in the water that are placed a wide foot-width apart.  This works very well, except for people who have to wrestle a large German shepherd who wants to go play with the numerous dogs who are allowed to hike off-leash in the park with their owners.  Luckily, nobody fell in the water.

We started off at 7:30 and got finished at 9, with a whole long day ahead of us.  There are beautiful views and in the early morning, it's really peaceful and has a great deal of solitude.  Wildlife on the trail is not as abundant,as it's a very used trail in McLean, but there are deer and squirrels and I'm sure many things we couldn't see and that's just as well.  If the snakes are sleeping, I say let them sleep.

Definitely planning to go back sometime and take the longer loop.  The trail was supposed to be 2.6 miles, but wound up being 3.2 after we took the extra leg for the cliff viewing.

Time spent on trail:  90 minutes.

Difficulty:  Easy if you're experienced, mildly moderate if not - there are rocks and roots and crossings.  No high elevation changes.

Bonuses:  Birdsong is beautiful in the trees.

View:  Lovely river views.

Kid-friendly:  Yes, easily.  Kids will like climbing on cliffs and splashing through water in warmer months.

Mason Neck State Park, Virginia

Mason Neck is a wildlife preserve in Northern Virginia, out near Quanitco.  Aaron and I were looking for a hike to do on a quiet Monday. We have several hiking guidebooks, and this time I decided, hey, it's April and it's not going to be super hot.  Let's do a hike that doesn't involve mountains.

If you're familiar with Northern Virginia weather, you know that hiking during the summer involves a heck of a lot of hot sticky disgusting weather, and not so much in the way of breezes or nice days.  On those days, it's absolutely best to ridge hike and mountain hike, because the breezes at the top are very much like heaven.  Mason Neck is a wetlands, freshwater marsh preserve.  Belmont Bay is right there, and it's extremely muddy and swampy.  The wettest parts offer a well-kept boardwalk, and there are extremely friendly park rangers around to answer questions.  There's a park ranger who helps you rent kayaks to paddle around Belmont Bay itself as well, and this park would lend itself extremely well to a long day hiking trip.  I'm pretty sure there's even camping!

We started out planning a 3 mile hike, but we needed to hike an extra half mile to refill our water bottles.  Why did we go through so much water, you ask?  Because the first weekend in April offered up a 90 degree out of the blue day.  It was so hot, but the hike was really beautiful, in a creepy marsh sort of way.  I kept expecting to see Atreyu trying to talk Artex out of sinking in the mud.  There was abundant wildlife - beavers, eagles and even a giant black snake.  (To my credit, I did NOT shriek at the snake!  I did back the heck away as fast as I possibly could, and yes, even ran, but I didn't utterly freak out!)

The drive was lovely and the hike is really nice.  I recommend it for an early season or a fall hike.

Time spent on trail:  2 hours.

Difficulty:  Easy.

Bonuses:  Extremely friendly park rangers, ample water available for drinking and refilling bottles.  Lovely picnic facilities.

View:  Really interesting.  I won't call it "beautiful" but I will call it fascinating and full of living things.

Kid-friendly:  Yes, and very educational.  There's even a self-guided tour book available.

Manassas Battlefield

Aaand we're back.

Due to health issues and finally getting a diagnosis and then learning to cope with said diagnosis, my hiking of late has been slacking.  I've been doing training walks and short hikes, less than 3.5 miles, and often just in my neighborhood, which has some beautiful hikes!

So in April, we did several hikes.  I'm going to do a post for each, just to make sure I document them for those of you looking for a nice place to hike, something after work or an early short morning hike.

Manassas Battlefield is one of my favorite hikes.  Rich with history and beautiful, open wide areas that attract breezes and have little in the way of bugs and bees.  It's easy when you're hiking there to imagine yourself transported through time, and to think of the people who fought and died there, the families, and the stories that were woven in the ground. There's ample parking, and there are hikes ranging from 1 - 6 miles, plus side trails and ways to make the hikes longer/shorter.  Very adaptable.  My children love this hike - it gives them a chance to experience history firsthand, and offers places to rest and places to run free.

Time spent on trail:  90 minutes.

Difficulty:  Easy.

Bonuses:  So much history!  And even a visitors museum.

View:  Quite beautiful, there are high and low points and very well kept.

Kid-friendly:  It's a must-hike for families with children, or dogs.  Many many dogs.